He received his schooling and religious education in his village and later on moved to Hyderabad city to pursue his higher education, where he received a Bachelors and followed by a master's degree. He settled down in Hyderabad after completing his higher education and committed himself to the fight for a Free India against British-occupation. He earned a master's degree in 1936 from Osmania University.

Makhdoom started working as a lecturer at the City College in 1934 and taught Urdu literature. He became an Urdu language poet of incredible versatility. He was the founder of the Communist Party in Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, he is regarded as a Freedom Fighter of India. He also rallied against the then-monarchy of the Princely State of Hyderabad to merge with the newly liberated Indian Union. The then-ruler of Hyderbad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, had issued orders to kill him for awakening people for freedom and the abolition of Nawab ("princely") rule.

He is best known for his collection of poems entitled Bisat-e-Raqs ("The Dance Floor"), for which he was awarded the 1969 Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu. His published works include the essay Tagore and His Poetry, a play, Hosh ke Nakhun ("Unravelling"), an adaptation of Shaw's Widowers' Houses, and a collection of prose essays. Bisat-e-Raqs is a complete collection of Makhdoom's verse including his two earlier collections Surkh Savera ("The Red Dawn", 1944) and Gul-e-Tar ("The Dewdrenched Rose", 1961)

He is known as Shayar-e-Inquilab' ('Poet of the Revolution'). His ghazals and lyrics have been used in many Hindi films. Among his notable are the romantic ghazals:Ek Chameli Ke Mandve Taley, Aap Ki Yaad Aati Rahi Raat Bhar and Phir Chhidi Raat, Baat Phoolon Ki.

He was also a member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council from1956 - 1969 and became opposition leader in Assembly.
The most popular political leader across India. He had travelled almost all European countries that exist under the umbrella of Russia and also visited China. He also met Yuri Gagarin when he visited Moscow and wrote a poem on him.